Mike Willmott - Essential Baits

Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott
22
Mike Willmott
LIFE AND
CARP LIFE
PART TWO
Continuing from last month’s long-awaited
return to the pages of Carpworld, highlyregarded
bait guru and carp angler
Mike Willmott is back with the second
instalment of Life and Carp Life.
A
nyone who followed part one of this
miniseries will be aware that all the
hard work and e� ort being put into
my Springwood � shery was slowly beginning
to pay o� . � e long-term plan was progressing
nicely and the � sh were now starting to show
very good signs of growth. Further to this, our
own � sh-rearing programme was proving to
be as addictive as ever but was beginning to
take up copious amounts of my � shing time.
The syndicate lads had all put in a massive
amount of hard work, but the fruits of our
labour were really beginning to show. The
new plantations were starting to flourish and
the scenery was looking magnificent. Since
the erection of the otter-proof fencing we
hadn’t suffered a single otter attack on the
venue. This paved the way to increase our
efforts into reducing the overall biomass in
an attempt to benefit the growth of the carp.
As I may have mentioned before, we worked
in close liaison with the Environment
Agency to gain the necessary documentation
to move the unwanted fish to local angling
clubs, and the remaining fish benefited
enormously from this. Some of the original

double-figure commons were shooting past
the 20lb mark and during the 2003 season
Mark Harvey landed a new lake record by
catching a 23lb 8oz mirror. We named it
after him (Harvey) but little were we to
know just how big this fish was going to
become over the next few years!
It seemed as if we were always working,
which, looking back, I suppose we were!! � e
excessive weedgrowth was still causing some
problems but we were gradually winning
the battle. Of course, for a good many years
the lake remained untouched and the weed
that built up and died each year was slowly
increasing the silt levels. We therefore
decided to use a product called Siltex to help
reduce the silt levels. � � is worked very well
indeed and also gave the whole eco system a
new lease of life, which, again, bene� bene� ted the
� � sh enormously.
Fortunately however, all the hard work
at Springwood never took a complete
stranglehold of my life, and I was still
managing to � � nd a few opportunities to go
� � shing. I’d le� le� Frampton a few years earlier
and had � � shed a few seasons on the Swindon
Park Lake, but in reality my sights were set
on a very di� di� cult Berkshire pit in search of a
big mirror mir or that r I’d dreamt about for so long.
However, I knew that was going to be a much
bigger challenge than anything I’d come up
against before, and taking into consideration
the time availability av ilability a and family commitments
become over the next few years! that built up and died each year was slowly
Mark Harvey 23lb 8oz.
For a good many years the lake
remained untouched and the weed
that built up and died each year was
slowly increasing the silt levels
I had in front of me, I didn’t view that as a
viable option at that particular time.
You may recall the explosive start to the
season I had at the Swindon Park Lake in the
last issue and it was clear that I still had a little
� re le� in my belly for the place, although I
would be the � rst to admit that my interest
was waning with each passing year and I knew
it wouldn’t be too long before I called it a day
on there. All but one of my main target � sh
had graced my net and I was starting to get
repeat captures, which isn’t ideal. � e jewel in
the crown was undoubtedly � e Resident, but
I’d caught her twice. I’d also banked another
40 at 41.08 at the start of the 2001 season,
which was also one of my main target � sh, but
that was a repeat capture as well. Sadly, one or
two of the older � sh were beginning to pass
away, including the aforementioned 41 and
I began to wonder just how long some of the
old character � sh had le� .
Despite having plans to � sh at the Park
through the autumn of 2003, the hunger
never arrived. Again, I think this was more
to do with my hectic life schedule and
limited � shing time rather than any lack
Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott
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Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott
24
of enthusiasm. During the latter part of the
winter, however, things quietened down a
little and by the middle of February 2004 I
was itching to get back on the bank.
� e conditions looked perfect and I
couldn’t ignore that call from within that told
me I should be out there doing it, rather than
at home thinking about it! If you’ve lived and
breathed carp � shing for any length of time,
you’ll know exactly what I mean – it’s just
second nature.
The Resident (below) at 44lb12oz
from a few winters ago and my
41lb 8oz (RIP) from the start of the
2001 season. I began to wonder
just how long some of these old
character fi sh had left.
Adding Siltex to the lake proved
benefi cial, but was one of the most
back-breaking jobs we’ve ever done.
MIDWINTER CHUNK
I arrived at the pit on a damp, windy, but very
mild February morning and the � rst person
I bumped into was Terry Hearn, who had
recently been � shing there with a couple of
mates. We both agreed the conditions looked
spot on, and it was inevitable that the big
chunks would be up for it, in fact he told me
that one or two � sh had been caught during
the past several days from di� erent parts of
the lake. Just the sort of news I wanted to hear.
� e carp were active, and they seemed to be
well spread out.
I spent the � rst few hours walking the
banks and scanning the lake in the hope of
spotting a carp, but on this occasion it wasn’t
to be. Like so o� en at this time of year, it
was back to an educated guess, based on a
combination of weather conditions and past
captures, and also taking into account the
current angling pressure situation. Having
an extensive knowledge of the lake and its
inhabitants is obviously a very big edge under
such circumstances.
Now, I’m not one to follow big winds in
the winter, in fact I o� en prefer to � sh on the
back of them, but due to the fact that it was
a very mild wind and blowing straight into a
known winter hot spot, it was far too di� cult
to ignore and I set up at the deeper end of the
lake in a swim known as � e Little Rats. A
couple of local anglers were on the lake and
Terry was � shing a few swims further down.
� e maggot/caster application that I so
o� en like to adopt during the colder months
was certainly out of the question on this
particular water, due to the large head of
bream. Even a small PVA bag presentation
that included breakdown pellets would cause
‘bream investigations’ within minutes of
casting! It had to be a boilie approach, and the
only decision I had to make was whether to
� sh over bait or use singles.
To elaborate a little on that, at certain times
of the winter I will adopt a single hookbait
approach, but this is usually during prolonged
cold spells when the � sh just aren’t moving
far and their consumption of food is minimal.
You also have to be very con� dent that your
location is spot on. Other instances where
I might adopt a single hookbait approach
would be to a showing � sh, or during very
short sessions on a roving rod.
Pop-ups are my preferred choice when it
The conditions were perfect as the big,
mild winds oxygenated the water.

It was undoubtedly the one I’d
seen stick its head out earlier.
Back on the Park Lake during a
particularly windy spell that took out a
100-year old beech tree not far from me!
comes to a single hookbait presentation, and
I much preferred to use a colour from the
brown/red end of the spectrum when it came
to nailing the big � sh on this water. Obviously
the B5 � tted the bill perfectly, and due to the
fact that it was an established food source on
the venue, the choice of bait was a simple one.
I always have a batch of separate hookbaits
knocking around during the colder months,
these being a mixture of pop-ups, bottom
baits, and balanced wa� ers that have been
air-dried, then glugged and rehydrated in a
liquid food to absorb the moisture and boost
attraction properties. Perfect for the single
hookbait approach or to boost food signals
around the baited area.
With the mild weather conditions and
dropping air pressure, combined with the
fact that one or two carp had been out from
di� erent areas of the lake, it was likely that
they would be up for a munch, so I wanted
to � sh over a bit of bait. When doing so,
I prefer to use bottom bait presentations,
therefore two rods were launched out into the
central silty area of the lake with about 40 B5
freebies loosely scattered around each rig. � e
third rod was set up with a single
hookbait approach in mind, and I
opted for the previously mentioned
Spinning Withy Rig that had been
so successful in June and July. � is
was � shed in conjunction with
one of my high-leakage B5 Corker
pop-ups that include cork dust and
stay popped up forever and a day!
� ey are also far more durable and
will easily withstand the attention of
diving tu� ies and the like.
� e night passed quickly and by � rst
light nothing had occurred, however, the
conditions certainly looked favourable for
some action, and I wasn’t surprised to see the
unmistakable but most welcome sight of a
big carp’s head come clean out of the water a
little further down the bank from where I was
� shing. I quickly reeled in the rods and within
10 minutes I was set up in the swim next door,
� e Little Rats, with just the rods out and
the rest of my kit stationed behind me in case
The anticipated activity
came via the sound
of my SS3000 clutch
screaming and I was
soon doing battle with
a big old carp trying its
best to head off in the
opposite direction
another quick move was on the cards.
Fresh hookbaits were quickly mounted and
the � rst rod was positioned bang on the mark
where I’d seen the � sh show a little earlier.
I felt the lead down through the water and
it landed with a semi-� rm thud in about 8�
of water, thus telling me it was positioned
close to the edge of where the stone-covered
margins start to turn silty – an area that I
had always found productive in years gone
by. � e B5 balanced wa� er was accompanied
with about a dozen freebies scattered loosely
over the area. Perfect, and not too much
disturbance. � e Spinning Withy Rig was
� shed as a single hookbait presentation on
my second rod several yards further along
the shelf, whilst the third trap was set with
a dozen or so freebies alongside another
balanced wa� er presentation, over silt further
out into the lake.
After positioning the baits and making a
brew, I sat back to watch the water for any
further signs of activity – and I didn’t have
to wait long! The anticipated activity came
via the sound of my SS3000 clutch screaming
out into the chilly morning air and I was
soon doing battle with a big old carp trying
its best to head off in the opposite direction!
The fish had tripped up on the very first rod
I’d positioned, this being the one that was
placed on the spot where I’d seen the carp
stick its head out just 20 minutes before. I
also knew that if it was the same fish, it was a
fair old chunk!
� e � sh stayed out in the deep water long
enough to convince me that it was a good
one, but steady pressure soon had it circling
around in front of me as its last lunges for
Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott
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Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott
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freedom came to nothing. A� er � nally sliding
the � sh into the sanctuary of my waiting net,
I punched the air with delight. It’s always
nice to catch a winter carp, particularly in the
middle of February, but even more so when
you haven’t been on the bank for six months!
It was a big leathery-type mirror, undoubtedly
the one I’d seen stick its head out earlier,
and it was in pristine condition. It pulled
the scales around to 38lb 4oz and was a very
welcome reward.
Unfortunately, any thoughts of capitalising
on this success during the remaining few
weeks of the season were soon dismissed with
the arrival of a succession of bitterly cold
easterly winds, which pretty much shut down
the lake – and most of the country from what
I remember!
RETURN TO SPRINGWOOD
� e end of the season heralded the start of a
very busy schedule for me back at Springwood
Pool, but the spring months are also a very
busy period here at Essential Baits, which
usually means my � shing time is extremely
limited between March and June. Having said
that, I must admit I’m a little bit old school
in that sense and I’ve never felt particularly
comfortable � shing during the old close
season period. I’ve tried hard to accept it
a little more as time has gone by, but to be
honest, it still doesn’t feel right. It’s not until
you own a lake that you realise how vitally
important it is for the welfare of the � sh and
the surrounding fauna to have a rest from the
constant onslaught of angling tra� c.
However, I fully understand that from
a commercial viewpoint, it’s a large slice of
lost revenue, and if a � shery owner is relying
on this income to make ends meet, I can’t
blame him for allowing � shing throughout
the year. If I ever need to go down this route
with Springwood for the same reasons, I
think I would do the same, albeit reluctantly.
However, I would still try to minimise
bankside disturbance during this period and
allow a short break during vital spawning
times. At the end of the day, it’s a balancing act
really, but in the long run, I believe the more
caring � shery owners will reap the rewards of
a better � shery and, dare I say, better clientele,
by having a more sensitive approach to the
� shery and its inhabitants.
Back at Springwood we took the
opportunity of the close season to catch up
with some important jobs. It’s also a great time
for all the members to get together and discuss
all things carpy as the excitement and build up
to the glorious 16th draws ever closer. Apart
from the usual work party jobs, such as tree
pruning, hedge cutting, weed removal, swim
maintenance, etc., etc., one of the biggest jobs
Lee showing the enormity of
the task ahead to reduce the lily
population, but by 2004 we were
slowly winning the battle.
this year was to widen and raise the height
of the north bank. � is is the bank that runs
adjacent to the Rhine and during periods of
heavy rain, it wasn’t unusual for the lake to
� ood into the Rhine – not an ideal situation!
� � is was a massive job and involved driving
hundreds of 8� wooden stakes into the
margins together with supporting boards to
prevent the bank from collapsing when the
soil was placed on top. Rather than import
soil onto the site, we decided to dig another
stock pond to provide the required material.
A 14-ton digger, a 6-ton digger, two dumper
trucks, a dozen hard-gra� ing carp anglers
and 200 tons of soil later, and the job was
complete. We now had another stock pond
and a substantial new bank that wasn’t prone
to � ooding. A new otter-proof fence was
erected along this stretch and we were ready
to rock ’n’ roll. � ere’s always a great sense of
satisfaction when you complete these major
lake jobs and it makes all the hard work and
expense worthwhile.
A� er all the hard work it’s party time,
and if there’s one thing in the whole wide
Apart from the usual work party jobs, such as
tree pruning, hedge cutting, weed removal,
swim maintenance, etc., etc., one of the
biggest jobs this year was to widen and raise
the height of the north bank
Springwood’s
resident chef
Kim cooking
up the food
with a little
help from
Jon Mac at
a pre-season
barbecue.
world I enjoy more than anything else, it’s
partying!! � e famous Springwood barbecue
has attracted many a ‘known’ angler from far
and wide. We even had a Sky TV dish � tted
to the ‘social barn’ so that we could watch
all the big � ghts and major footie games.
One of the members was the proprietor of a
brewery and used to bring along all sorts of
weird and wonderful brews in bloody great
barrels. I can remember one of them very
well – it was called Red Eye Red Ring. We
couldn’t understand why until the following
morning! We even celebrated Millennium
night at the lake, along with 40 like-minded
revellers! � e unique atmosphere of the site,
in conjunction with the most stunning views,
makes it the ideal venue for social occasions,

Widening and strengthening the
north bank in preparation for the
new otter-proof fencing.
in fact in more recent times we’ve even held
a wedding reception at Springwood for my
long-term � shing pal Phil Marsh. � ese socials
normally kick o� about 7.00 p.m. on the
Saturday evening, and I haven’t known one yet
that’s � nished before 8.00 a.m. the following
morning!! Yes, we love to see the ‘Springwood
Sunrise’, it’s all part of the culture down here!
Mind you, I’m not suggesting for one minute
that there’s any sensible dialogue taking place
by this time!
SURFACE-CAUGHT RIVER 40!
Amongst the hard work and the hangovers,
there has to be some sanity and in April 2004
Lee and I were heading to Belgium for our
annual ‘River Carping’ trip. � e previous year
we managed to � nd a remote part of the river
that we fell in love with, and I have to say,
it’s the most fantastic place we’ve ever � shed.
Not full of big � sh, but there are undoubtedly
some whackers in there, and some of them are
real stunners. I can honestly say that I’m far
happier catching unknown and uncaught 20s
and 30s from a remote stretch of a river than
catching o� en-caught 50s, 60s and 70s from
commercial venues that see relentless pressure
week a� er week.
Another thing that excites me about the
river systems is that they provide a whole
new set of challenges to overcome, and I love
thinking my way around certain problems.
It keeps the old grey matter ticking over.
However, the � rst problem I encountered
on this particular trip was a little bit more
than I could handle. It culminated in a huge,
multi-thousand ton barge picking up all three
of my lines as it charged down the river!! To
be honest, it took me by complete surprise
because I was � shing the deeper midwater
channel of the river, and the barge had to be
carrying an extraordinary amount of cargo
and travelling at quite a speed to pick up the
rigs in that depth. All three Delkims let out an
almighty scream at exactly the same time and
the reel spools were just a complete blur. I � ew
out of my bivvy and literally dived over the
steep, rocky margins and ‘rugby tackled’ the
rods in a fashion that the great Jonah Lomu
Paradise found! A remote
part of the river system and
a place we’ve come to love.
All ready for the 200 tons
of clay to be deposited.
himself would have been proud of ! I managed
to save the rods but decided that it wasn’t
a good idea to try hand-lining the barge, so
I just lay there helplessly as the giant barge
stripped o� all three spools at a rate of knots
– it was frightening really, but worse was still
to come.
A� er the danger had passed I tried to get up
but was met with the most excruciating pain
that I’d ever encountered at the base of my
spine. It was absolute agony and I just couldn’t
move. � ose who su� er with bad backs will
know exactly what I mean – not pleasant.
Fortunately for me, Lee was close at hand,
Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott
27

Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott
28
and a� er what seemed like an age, he � nally
managed to get me back to my bedchair. Well,
to cut a long story short, that’s where I stayed
for the next three days, I could hardly move an
inch either way – literally!
Lee, meanwhile, was having a great time
landing a few nice carp to upper-20s and
catching a few di� erent species through
ledgering and plugging in the nearby harbour.
In fact, it was in this harbour that Lee
happened to foul-hook a mid-30 mirror in the
� ank whilst plugging, and I could see what he
was thinking just by looking at his face! A� er
all, if he could foul-hook a mid-30 mirror in
the � ank, what else might be lurking beneath
the depths of this quiet harbour away from the
hustle and bustle of the main river?
I usually carry a vast array of di� erent baits
when I’m abroad because you never know
what you’re likely to encounter, and in the
back of the van, I had a bag of Chum Mixers.
Probably the last bait you would think about
taking to a river, but the quiet harbour o� ered
an alternative option, and with the sun feeling
quite warm as it climbed through the clear
blue April sky, any � sh would surely have to be
in the upper layers.
Lee soon disappeared with the bag of
Chums, but it wasn’t long before I could hear
him hurriedly making his way back to base
camp as I still lay there bedridden. Judging
by his actions he’d obviously seen something!
Fumbling his way through his tackle box to
set up a controller � oat arrangement, he told
me that he’d managed to get a group of � sh
feeding on the Chums, and one of them was
very big! Shaving the edges of a 20mm cork
ball to imitate a Chum Mixer, the setup was
now complete and he made his way back to
the harbour armed with a rod and a net.
� ree days had passed since my back
accident and the pain had eased somewhat,
enabling me to roll o� my bedchair and
slowly stand up. Walking was more di� cult
though, but I was determined to keep mobile.
I gingerly made my way to the harbour to
investigate the situation, and on my arrival I
could see Lee crouched down on a � oating
jetty that protruded into the harbour. As I
got within about 20yds of him, he suddenly
struck the rod, and at the same time there was
a huge eruption on the surface.
What happened next will remain etched
What a way to catch your fi rst-ever
40 – on the surface – on a river
– and on a piece of cork.
Unbelievable!
Lee decided to go stalking in the harbour
next to the boats. I wasn’t prepared for
what happened next!
Fumbling his way through his tackle box to
set up a controller fl oat arrangement, he
told me that he’d managed to get a group
of fi sh feeding on the Chums, and one of
them was very big!
in my memory forever. � e powerful � sh
went on an almighty run across the harbour
with the clutch in meltdown mode as Lee
desperately tried his best to keep in contact
with it. When I got next to Lee he told me
he’d managed to single out the big one and
that it was a very chunky-looking mirror
– ‘just the job’ I thought. � e � sh continued
to surge across to the far side of the harbour
with immense power, diving under several
moored boats. � e line must have been
desperately close to the sharp
propeller blades that
protruded from the boats
and Lee had to hold the
full length of the rod
underneath the surface
to keep the line as deep
as possible.
� e � ght lasted for a
full 30 minutes and
the � sh had
completed
a full
lap of the harbour before it was ready for the
net! How he kept if from snagging up on any
of the boats I will never know. I must say, it
was one of the most exciting battles I’ve ever
witnessed. We were both more than a little
relieved when it eventually slid into the net,
and what a stunner of a � sh it was too. At 40lb
8oz, it was Lee’s � rst-ever 40, and what a way
to break that magical four-zero mark. From
a river, and on a piece of cork!! You couldn’t
have dreamt it – happy days indeed.
To be honest it was the perfect tonic I
needed for my injured back, and although we
were running out of time, for the remaining
48 hours of the trip I was able to move about
far easier and I felt much more comfortable.
In fact, before we departed I even managed to
nail one myself – a 29lb 14oz mirror on a Zigrigged
pop-up presented 16� o� the riverbed.
As they say, it’s a funny old game!
A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST
On my return to the UK I was at a bit of a
loss as to where to go next. I was now having
massive problems with my back and I found
it di� cult to � sh overnight without su� ering
severe pain. Eventually an X-ray pinpointed
the problem – according to my
doctor it was old age – great!
Apparently, something to do
with wear and tear on the
muscle tissues or something.
Perhaps all that heavy gra� at
Springwood had � nally caught up
with me, but hey, that’s life I’m afraid.
I decided to take my foot o� the pedal for
the summer and stick to a few day sessions or
short overnighters at Springwood. I found this
extremely enjoyable and, as they say, a change
is as good as a rest. I think we all need a break
from time to time, and it was good to catch

A sure sign of how my Springwood
carp were growing. At 29.04 (this pic)
and 29.08 (below), it is now only a
matter of time before our fi rst 30!
a few Springwood � sh and monitor their
increasing weight gains.
It also gave me a good chance to
net and monitor the growth rates
of some of my smaller carp in our
stock ponds. I’ve got a small, but
very special group of carp that I
refer to as ‘Arnie’s Crew’. We’ve
grown-on these fish from eggs
which originated from some stunning
carp that reside in a very exclusive lake
on the French/Belgian border. They
are without doubt some of the
best-looking fish
I’ve ever
seen and I’m hoping that one day they might
act as the brood stock to create further
generations of Springwood carp.
One of the carp grew at an
unbelievable rate, and within
a very short period of time
it completely dwarfed all
the others. We named this
one Arnie, and I couldn’t
believe my eyes when at the
fingerling stage I witnessed
him swimming around
trying to gobble up all
the other carp!
Obviously they
were separated
at this stage
and graded
One of the carp grew
at an unbelievable
rate, and within a
very short period of
time it completely
dwarfed all the others
accordingly, but some of them are absolute
stunners, with a number of them being fullyscaled.
I recently caught Arnie at a little over
9lb, and to think that I actually witnessed
this carp break out from an egg and swim
to the surface to take its first gulp of air not
only fascinates me, but underlines exactly
why I get so much satisfaction from rearing
our own fish.
Back to the � shing and in November 2004
I managed to catch Springwood’s big common
at a weight of 29lb 4oz, followed a few
weeks later by a 29lb 8oz mirror called
Cluster. � ese were both fantastic
weight gains for the venue and
were further proof indeed
that all the hard work was
starting to pay o� . Surely it
was only a matter of time now
before our � rst 30.
See you next month…. MW
Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott 29